Free Lunch

Yesterday, I happened to find myself in need of a tool I had been contemplating purchasing for quite awhile. So yesterday was going to be the happy, and of course, necessary purchase. Really, no man should be denied the pleasure of buying a new tool. So, I drove to a tool warehouse named "Tight On Tools". They have so many tools, I walk in wanting to purchase tools I don't need, nor will probably ever use. It can be a dangerous place with a blank check in your hands! While I was there, they were having a huge tool sale, with reps from all their different lines of tools on hand, to throw you a sales pitch. But one of the added bonuses was free lunch. Nothing extravagant - hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, chips, and a cooler full of red dye #5 to drink. Now, I got there at 11:05, and the line to the food was already long. It's just amazing the people, mostly men who work with tools for a living, and a few who just like to own tools, who turned out for this event. There was a group of carpet layers (I know a carpet layer when I see one), who arrived right behind me in the chow line. The whole time they're talking about work, the jobs they're on, the tools they can't afford, and how good free lunch is going to taste. Myself and the "fuzzy side up" crew acquired our pro bono lunch and sat down at the same table to feed. Most of them finished before I did - I was too busy people watching, and looking for fellow workers I knew. They got up from the table and left. When I finished, I walked inside the store to embark on my tool quest. I realized the "ruggies" had dined and ditched. They were there for nothing other than the free lunch! I'm aware the mooch factor is quite high among floor covering people, but I think you should at least pretend to be interested in purchasing something. To top it all off, the tool warehouse was all out of the tool I needed. I guess the moral of the story is; Don't expect much from a free lunch, or, of the people who attend.